NYC single mommy; Three time Columbia University Alumna (BA in Psychology; MA and EdM in Psychological Counseling); Educator and Adjunct Professor by day, Freelance Writer/Lifestyle Blogger by night; Stylista at heart; Kids fashion is my thing. My life is filled with all things pink (and purple), except for the one bit of blue -- my rambunctious 7-year-old son; Perfect combo of sweet, chic, edgy, and badass. Small gal with big dreams and determined to #walkbyfaith

While we were at dinner, I heard a lot of "I don't know how you do it" and "You're doing so much... wow!" and "I'm impressed with all that you do."

I was flattered.

But, the truth is, I was impressed with all of the other ladies at the dinner table. They are all doing amazingly great things, and still have time to hang out and have a good time.

Some are in graduate school rocking it out.

The birthday girl recently finished law school and is preparing to move across country.

Some are working 'round the clock at their day job and taking care of business with their side hustle.

Some are in relationships and it's going really well.

Some are in relationships and they've just overcome a really rough patch.

Some are concerned about what kind of mother they will be.

Some are worried if they will even have children because they're getting older and haven't gotten married yet. (I pretty much laughed at this comment because 28 or 29 is not old at all, but quite youthful, with plenty of time to reproduce.)

Some are not loving their current job, but working hard to find another one.

Some feel stuck. Some feel successful. Some feel lost. Some feel lucky.

All are blessed.

The point that I'm trying to make is this: everyone has stuff that they have to deal with. Everyone has a different path that they must follow in life. Those paths are filled with trials and triumphs, sorrows and successes, and loads of lessons to be learned. If you allow for it to happen.

I'm truly blessed with the life that I have now. It wasn't easy getting here. But, it's not all peaches and cream either. I have my own issues and situations and roadblocks that I'm dealing with. Every. Single. Day.

As do you.

And all the other ladies at that dinner table.

So... don't compare yourself to other people. Celebrate their success, yes. But don't think that their lives are picture perfect. Because, we all have our own struggles, insecurities, and challenges to deal with.

I'm glad you wrote this. It's funny how there always seems to be a blog post somewhere that you need to hear for certain life situations. I know I needed to read this because this is the third post I've read about celebrating the success of others.

So true!! My girl is always comparing herself to other people who are seemingly more successful than her (in her mind anyway) and I always tell her do not envy peoples lives because you truly never know what they may be dealing with!

Whenever someone is in "awe" of me I am always completely in shock because I feel like I am going through the motions and just surviving. I have long come to realize that we all are walking around being impressive in some way and that comparisons will just never work. Great post Alicia